


What Would You Say?

by truestarofthenorth



Series: Disney Ducks [6]
Category: Darkwing Duck (Cartoon 1991)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-04
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-10-22 06:43:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17657906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/truestarofthenorth/pseuds/truestarofthenorth
Summary: It was a stupid, stupid thought, that spread into hundreds of thousands of stupider thoughts.And now, here he was, in love with his best friend, who absolutely didn't return his feelings. His heart belonged to Morgana, and that was absolutely okay. She was a better choice, after all. Gosalyn could finally have a normal family.(Or, Launchpad doesn't want to ruin what he already has with DW.)





	1. Why Don't You Tell Him?

**Author's Note:**

> We're the best of friends  
> And we share our secrets  
> He knows everything that is on my mind  
> Oh, lately something's changed  
> As I lie awake in my bed  
> A voice here inside my head  
> Softly says
> 
> Why don't you kiss him  
> Why don't you tell him?'
> 
> Heyo!!! I was gonna put this in my Duck Drabbles but it got long so I made it it's own little story!!! Is this fic absolutely inspired by Kim Possible: So The Drama? Yes, it is. 
> 
> Did I consider making it a very sad fic where Launchpad never confesses, and has to face the one he loves with someone else? Again, yes. Hmu if you want that, tho, fr. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this! I cried while writing it. Really, I did haha. It really hit home for me. I think I'm able to write this so accurately because I've been through the same. 
> 
> xoxo

'It was so silly. 

To be jealous, over your best friend! After all, he certainly didn't belong to you....'

Launchpad spent his day telling himself that, looking away from Drake as often as he could. In fact, he pretty much avoided him. 

It wasn't like he hated Morgana, no! It was the opposite! He liked her, a lot. She was definitely the best choice for DW, and for Gosalyn! They could be a normal family...

"Launchpad?"

With a sharp breath, Launchpad jumped, a bit startled. He quickly wiped his eyes, looking towards the new company he had. 

Drake was there, looking both confused and concerned. "Hey, what's wrong??" He sat next to his sidekick. 

"Nothin', DW. Don't worry about me." He smiled weakly. "I just, remembered a sad part of the show Gos and I were watchin' earlier." 

"Oh." Drake nodded, seemingly believing his lie. 

"Did ya need somethin'?" Launchpad asked, maybe a little too pushy. 

"Well, I just needed to ask if you were still okay with watching Gos tonight." 

Right. Drake was going out to dinner with Morgana tonight. 

"Yeah, course." He said, shoulders slumping a little. 

"Great! I'll see you two later!" Drake chimed, grabbing his coat. He kissed Gosalyn's head before leaving, obviously eager for his date. 

Gosalyn practically tossed herself onto the couch, grabbing the remote off the table. 

"Whattya wanna watch, Launchpad?" She asked, before glancing up. He had his scarf pulled up to his beak, looking off to the side. His eyes were sparkling with tears, and his shoulders were trembling a little. 

Gosalyn sat up, placing her hand on Launchpad's arm. "What's wrong?" 

Without answer, Launchpad took her into his arms, holding his adoptive daughter close. She hugged back tight. 

"Launchpad," She said, frowning. "What's wrong? You know you can tell me anything!"

"I think...I think I really like DW." 

Gosalyn felt her smile fall. Oh. 

"But, he's happy with Morgana. Right?" 

Drake was happy with her. He always said he was, he seemed absolutely in love with her. 

Gosalyn didn't give him an answer, she only hugged him tighter. "Launchpad, even if....well, you won't leave, right?" 

Sure, the thought of DW marrying Morgana left a cold feeling in his chest, he wasn't going to leave his daughter, or his sidekick. Unless it was what Drake wanted, Launchpad wasn't going anywhere. 

"Course not."

-

Gosalyn couldn't handle how sad Launchpad was. She wanted to step in and help, but...it seemed out of her grasp. 

Drake noticed this too, but Launchpad always had something to back it up with. 

(E.I, 'this show was so sad', 'there was a sad commercial on, the one with the cats!' 'they just closed down that store, you know, the one with the completely obsolete things?')

But it all felt wrong, in a way he couldn't explain or understand. 

He went to Gosalyn about it. 

"Hey Gos, you busy?" Drake asked, half-heartedly knocking on her door. She was lying on her bed with headphones on, surrounded by comic books. 

She slipped her headphones down. "Hey dad, what's up?" 

"Can I talk to you?" 

"Dad, if this is about the living room window, I swear it always had that hole in it." 

Drake paused, but shook his head. He'd deal with that later. 

"No, it's about Launchpad." 

Gosalyn froze. "Uh, actually, I'd rather fess up about the window." 

"I don't care about the window right now. Why is Launchpad so sad? And avoiding me!"

Gosalyn sat up, fidgeting. Oh man, what was she gonna say? She didn't want to spill the big secret. She felt like she'd betray LP like that, then he'd be upset with her, and he'd move away and she'd never see him again and-

"Gosalyn, Gosalyn! Calm down, what's wrong??" Drake was beside her, holding her close. She was crying, when did she start crying? 

"Dad," She sniffled, wiping her eyes. "I can't tell you. Only Launchpad can..." 

"But he won't talk to me! Gosalyn, please, I'm worried about him. And I'm worried about you! Why are you crying?"

"Because if I tell you, I'll hurt Launchpad and he'll leave! I don't want him to leave!"

Drake was absolutely lost. All he could do was hold his daughter close, and pray he wasn't the one who hurt his sidekick. 

Oh boy....


	2. The Feelings That You Hide

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'The feelings that you hide  
> 'Cause he'll never know  
> If you never show  
> The way you feel inside.'
> 
> Aaaaand that's it! This is definitely one of my longer fics. It might actually be my favorite! It's almost 6 am and I'm teary over my favorite ducks. I hope it's good haha. 
> 
> God I absolutely love Launchpad. He's such a good character! (If you saw my vanity, you'd definitely think he's my favorite, as of now I have three different figures of him!)
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this! As always, feedback is always appreciated! xoxo

Launchpad listened in at the door, his back pressed against the wall. He put Gosalyn through so much stress, he felt terrible. 

He shouldn't have told her, it wasn't her burden to bear....

Drake walked out, sighing. He jumped, just a tiny bit, when he saw Launchpad there. 

But...he didn't have the heart to bring anything up. "She, uh, wants to talk to you." Drake said, staring behind Launchpad. Why couldn't he meet his eye? 

Launchpad didn't give him a vocal answer, just giving a nod and walked into Gosalyn's room. 

Drake took a breath, leaning against the opposite wall. What was happening? 

He only partly listened in. He heard his name a few times, but couldn't understand what they were saying, his mind felt like static. 

Then he caught Morgana's name. 

"Even if dad married Morgana, you won't leave, right?" Gosalyn asked, gripping Launchpad's sleeve tightly, like a vice. 

He scooped her up, cradling her. "Aw Gos, I told ya. I'd never leave ya. You or DW..."

"But....wouldn't it hurt you?" 

"No, bein' around you two could never hurt me. I'd just have ta get over it." 

Get over it? Over what? 

"But, you love him." 

Suddenly, Drake felt like he couldn't breathe.  

No, it couldn't be. He was hearing things, his best friend absolutely wasn't in love with him. 

And...he absolutely wasn't in love with his best friend. Right?

Drake didn't even notice when Launchpad had finished talking to Gosalyn, and was standing in the doorway, eyes a bit too wide, a bit too wet. 

Oh no. 

Drake met his eyes, swallowing thickly. Neither said a word, however. Instead, they parted ways, Launchpad going downstairs and Drake going to his room. 

-

It was like this for a month, with Launchpad and Drake avoiding each other. Now they both knew what was going on, and neither had the heart to admit it. 

They were too scared of losing each other. 

The scared, nervous glances they gave each other. The short words they shared. 

It became routine for one of them to leave as soon as the other entered the room. 

And finally, Drake broke down to Morgana. He expected her to lash out, to be angry, to hate him. 

But she tenderly placed her hand on his shoulder. "Dark, darling. I knew it from the beginning. You're an open book."

"You, huh?"

"I think you should tell him, before you lose him." She said, kissing his temple. 

She was right, but what if it was already too late?

-

Drake didn't bring anything up yet. It felt like a lump in his throat. The fluttering in his stomach and chest felt suffocating. 

He leaned against the doorway, watching LP and Gosalyn. They were passed out in front of the TV, with Gosalyn's head in LP's lap. 

It made his heart flutter. Oh no. 

He couldn't bring himself to wake them, and instead pulled a blanket over his daughter, pressing a lingering kiss to her head. When he stood up, his eyes met Launchpad's. 

There was a suffocating, (there's that word again, Drake thought.) silence between them. It left a feeling of ice in his chest. 

He took a short breath. "Sorry," He said, quietly. "I didn't mean to wake you." 

"No," LP said, just as softly. "Wasn't you." 

"I'm....gonna make some coffee....wanna join me?" DW offered. 

"Yeah," LP breathed. "That would be great. I'll meet you in the kitchen." 

-

Drake made coffee while LP brought Gosalyn up to her room. It almost felt domestic, like a routine. She was their daughter, after all. 

He drummed his fingers against the counter, watching the coffee pot intently. He kept going over what he wanted to say to LP. What was he going to say?

He heard a chair at the kitchen table shift, and someone sit down. 

He didn't move from his spot until Launchpad's coffee was done. Of course, he knew exactly how he liked it. Sweet, with milk, not creamer. 

Everything he thought made him realize how domestic their relationship was. They lived together, adopted and were raising a child together. Drake knew exactly what Launchpad liked, and Launchpad knew exactly what Drake liked. They might as well have been married at this point. 

"DW?" 

He jumped a little, turning to his sidekick in surprise. "Oh," He breathed. "Sorry, buddy." He slid Launchpad's coffee across the table to him, grabbing his own cup. 

"LP, I uh....I think we need to talk..."

"Oh. What about, DW?" Launchpad said, as if he didn't already know. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" 

LP sighed, leaning back in his chair. He didn't dare meet DW's eyes. He couldn't. "You seemed so happy with Morgana. And I thought, Gos could have a normal family, y'know? And, you'd have someone who you deserve." He said, running his finger along the rim of his cup. 

He took a short breath before he continued. "I didn't wanna lose ya, DW. I just thought, this was good enough for me. Just bein' your sidekick and friend." 

Drake sat across from him, trying to figure out what to say. His eyes were a little misty. 

"Is that really all you see yourself as?"

"Huh?"

Drake continued. "You only see yourself as my sidekick?"

Launchpad shrugged. "Yeah. To you, I-I mean." He added, voice wavering a bit. 

Drake looked down at his cup. "I've had a lot of time to think about this all." He said. "I just can't believe I didn't realize it sooner."

Launchpad looked up, confused. "Whattya mean?" 

"I love you. I was never meant to be with Morg, I...think I was always meant to be with you." 

Launchpad stared, eyes wide. The words repeated themselves over and over in his head. Drake loved him. 

Drake

Loved 

Him...

The only sound was the scraping of his chair against the ground, as Launchpad rushed to DW's side. He picked him up with ease, and kissed him, closing his eyes tightly. 

Drake let out a soft snort, kissing his sidekick back, holding onto his scarf. 

"I love ya, Drake. You and Gos are the most important people to me, I don't know what I'd do without ya.." He said, voice so soft Drake almost didn't heard him. 

They stayed like that for a long while, until there was a voice from the hall. 

"Dad? Launchpad? Where are you?" 

Launchpad put Drake down, slipping his arm around his waist as Gosalyn walked in. 

She almost didn't see how close they were holding each other. "Are...are you guys okay again?"

"Yeah. We figured everything out."

"A-and Launchpad isn't leaving?" 

Launchpad's smile softened, as he leaned down, holding his arms out. Gosalyn leapt forward, holding him tight. "Why would I ever leave when I have you and DW? I love you both too much..." He said, holding her close. 

"You're both everythin' ta me..." 

Drake watched, smiling a bit too bright. He felt so stupid, why didn't he tell him sooner? He felt like he missed out on so much. 

So many nights they could have spent together, so many kisses. Drake wouldn't have to suffer an empty bed anymore, no more lone, cold nights. He had Launchpad now. 

This was how things should be. The only thing missing was a ring.


End file.
